Mickguard

+1 on the new string thing

+2 ! Good call, j.!

I have just finished my third guitar, well, a few weeks ago that is.

Only 1 thing wrong. It has horrible intonation issues!!!! When tuned to pitch, its right on at the 12th fret. But on the 5-9 frets on the A D and G strings, it sounds horrbily off. It is only off a few tics on those notes though. I dont know why its sounding so out of tune. And i cant check at the first fret, because my tuner doesnt pick up those notes. Any tips?

Could be there's too much relief ---that coupled with a heavy hand and taller/jumbo frets could definitely throw things off.

There's always the possibility that it's the E and B strings causing the problem.

Ah, welcome to the wonderful world of chasing your tone...you might as well buckle in, because it's a fun ride...

Now, there's nothing wrong with starting out on a Valvetronix, but it remains a small-watt solid state amp with a tiny speaker......whereas Page usually/most likely recorded with low-watt TUBE amps, which makes all the difference.

But yeah, it's surprising how lo-fi Page's sound really was -- the real secret to his sound is his technique, and his ability to find music in all kinds of weird invented chord shapes...lots of open strings too.

Anyway, I appreciate the link to the AC30 ... I have the AC15cc1, which I like a lot, though it's more limited than the AC30.

Still, I much prefer a low-watt tube amp -- you'll rarely have the occassion to push a larger amp....even a 30 watt gets way too loud too quickly. A 100 watt tube amp is overkill, unless you're playing stadiums or like a really clean sound.

I'm a big fan of the Vox sound -- I really like the way mine opens up ...takes about an hour so after it's been switched on...but then it really starts to sing.

But I'm also waiting for the delivery of a new solid-state amp (for a dual amp setup), get that late 70s, early 80s punk sound.

I used to use a Tubescreamer, they're great-sounding pedals, until mine broke. Now I'm using a Dod Punkifier...completely different pedal of course, but it fits really well with the sound I've been going for.

'Cause you know, once you have the amp, you'll start going through tons of pedals....

Edit: heh...soon after posting this, I came across a new Digitech Distortion Factory going for a great price on ebay...couldn't resist....has seven distortion emulations AND stereo outs !

I'm still not seeing the problem, even with the picture. Why not just cut a slot for the nut (as Kenny was sort of suggesting), like a fender style nut. It'll still look really nice.

But you can also route the slot to be just shy of the edges -- the nut really only needs to be wide enough to hold the strings in the proper places -- it does not need to stretch to both sides of the fretboard. Instead, the nut will slip into the slot, but the added veneer will still hide its sides -- which would probably look really cool.

A zero fret's a way to go too, but only if you really like playing a guitar with a zero fret. It changes the sound quite a bit -- you lose a lot of the jangle of the open strings.

this is a set neck guitar with the tenon extending all the way to the pickup cavity, this allowed me to have a lot of the neck clear of the body. if i was doing it as a bolt on neck i would need to think about having a bit more support around the neck

You can use an extended tenon with a bolt-on too, if it's a one-pickup design. I'd use inserts instead of a bridge plate though.

Well, surely you have sandpaper? Does your apartment have a balcony? A garage? A sidewalk?

If so, you should be able to adjust the width of the neck to fit the pocket. A little care and patience is all that's needed, really.

Alternatively, and perhaps better -- get ahold of a sharp chisel, mark the body where you need to widen the pocket (a bit of masking tape will help), work slowly and you'll get there. The pickguard will hide most of the work. And the chisel won't make much dust, so you'll be able to work in your apartment.

It really all depends on how much you want this.

...the finish on the guitar is done...etc...but I just don't have easy way to fit the neck pocket...

What does that mean? You went ahead and painted the guitar before you cut the neck pocket? Or the neck you have doesn't fit?

I'd focus on moving on with this project, rather than destroying an existing guitar just because you have the part on hand. Patience is a big part of building.

If you insist on mounting the bigsby, then look into getting a three-barrel top-mounted telecaster bridge plate -- you'll cut off the forward bit (that holds the pickup). The rest of it will cover the bridge cavity. Then you can file notches into the back wall of the bridge plate to allow the strings to pass through. The three-barrel design will allow you to do this -- this type of plate is often found on low-end telecaster knockoffs.

Although I don't really see the point of replacing the strat trem system with the Bigsby. The Bigsby is only for graceful fluttering vibrato sounds, it's really not stable enough for anything extreme.

I think it depends on what kind of action he likes at the nut -- if he likes the action a bit higher, then use a taller fret, which will allow you to adjust the action more precisely.

Using a taller fret might be a good idea anyway, because the zero fret will wear out before the other frets, since the strings will always be pressing there. You might even think of using stainless steel for that one.

Building a neck myself was mandatory, because I wanted to develop the skills of fret replacement, fret levelling, nut building, etc.

Sure, I can understand that. Took me a while to work up the skills to tackle a neck, built two-- one I like, the other was garbage.

And even though I really enjoyed carving the neck, the rest of it wasn't all the pleasant. So nowadays, I'm perfectly happy with pre-built necks (or pre-fretted fretboards).

Of course, the only way I learned this was by building them...

Well, if nothing else this thread will help people (like me) who come to this forum thinking "hell I'll just build a guitar, it'll be cheaper."

Although I'll offer a suggestion : Buy a tele. Harvest that for parts. It'll probably be cheaper in the long run, and you can sell off the parts you don't end up using.

I'm not sure I understand the reasoning behind putting a spruce cap on a mahogany body.

As for how much deeper can I go... I'm not sure. I remember reading a measurement for the space between the 1st fret and the string while the 3rd fret is pressed. Anyone care to chime in? I think that string gauge and tuning (1/2 step down, Drop D etc) might also have an effect.

The height is variable -- depends on the guage of string, also depends on the type of finger pressure you use and also personal preference. Some guitarists like a high action there, others like it lower.

I once found a really great chart (might have been on Stew Mac) that showed the exact setup measurements used by the techs for a whole list of famous guitarists. Wish I knew where it was.

And one of the measurements gave the height of the string at the first fret. Believe it was just for the E strings.

The point is, those measurements were pretty exact -- so you might have better luck using a feeler guage to figure out the exact height you're at now -- it'll give you a better idea of where the optimal height should be.

Also, too high an action, means the string stretches when you fret it, and this also sharpens the note.

The answer's probably right there -- the nut slot isn't deep enough.

I'm definitely of the school that says you can use a jig-saw for a rough cut only. Then I switch to using a template, a router and bearing bit. I had to learn this the hard way.

I usually leave at least 5 mm around the outline, because the blade can drift pretty far.

But really, the jigsaw ends up being more work than it's worth. I've since found a couple of people willing to let me use their bandsaws.

How does a wraparound change the tension?

By changing the length of the strings.

String tension is not just a question of what happens between the nut and the saddle. There was a huge discussion about this some time back, have a look for it, some interesting reading there.

Gosh, makes me want to do away with the cable altogether and use a little 1/4 to 1/4 jack adapter piece about 2.5" long.

Screw that, I'm going to build a guitar out of my leg and the amp out of my ....

Keep in mind that a wraparound tailpiece is going to change the string tension.

In my experience-- using a top-mount tele bridge-- the guitar was just unpleasant to play because of the added string tension.

I don't have the same issue with a wraparound with the Gibson scale, however, so maybe it was just that guitar.

I make the carves by hand (I use a small surform and then 3M sandpaper), it's one of the most pleasant parts of the build for me.

It's actually fairly easy to work with metal, especially a small piece like this. And if you go with an aluminum bigsby, it'll be even easier.

Just cut it down with a hacksaw. Then use fine metal files to smooth it out. Then switch to sandpaper (for metal, of course), going to finer and finer grades. Once you get to 1000 or so, you can probably switch to steel wool.

Make sure to use masking tape to protect the areas you don't want scratched. In the end, the only part you're really trying to sand and polish is the edge-- the surface of the bar won't be affected by the work.

The nice part is that you can order a new bar if you ever need one.

Well, you don't need the neck to extend so deeply into the body. And you can extend the 'shelf' for the neck if you want for more support.

From your drawing, it looks like it's not the bridge that's the problem, but the tail piece -- consider getting rid of that and using a string-through body style instead.

Although I'd be reluctant to proceed with a project based on a sketch like that. You really ought to spend a bit more time on this -- work in Autocad or similarly accurate software that's going to allow you to develop everything with the proper dimensions.

The first line you put down is the line for the bridge -- the second line you put down is the line for the nut (use the program to place the line using the exact measurement). Everything else about the guitar is built from those two lines.

Other V type guitars don't have the same problem you're having--they manage to fit two pickups and a bridge on there -- so there's something wrong with your drawing/measurements.

As for the headstock thing...well, you'll need to find a compromise between the shape you like and the issues that shape might introduce.

I really think that eyeballing these measurements isn't the way to go. Maybe if you've been doing this for 20 years.

First off, when checking relief, I use a capo on the first fret -- frees up your hand to take a proper measurement. You can also use the capo to narrow down the problem area of the neck -- do you still get buzzing if the capo's at the 7th fret? 9th fret, etc?

Then I use a spark plug guage set with really fine gradations. I like the relief to be at .25 mm and at most .30 mm at the 6th or 7th fret. You might prefer more or less. But this isn't really a difference you can measure with the naked eye.

I also use the guages to measure the nut height (although this should not affect the buzzing on the 5th-9th frets, the nut height is more about the intonation at the first five frets).

Now if you put heavier strings on there and you think that caused the buzzing, then I'm wondering if there's not a different issue going on. If anything, the heavier guage would force more relief, which in turn would minimize buzzing.

Action should always be adjusted only after you've adjusted the relief of the neck then the height of the nut slots.

Well, you're happy with it, right? So why change anything?

I suppose all of us have our stock mods--things we do to a guitar as soon as we get it.

Personally, the first thing I do is change tuners, because I like locking tuners, they're just easier to string up and are more stable. I eventually switch the nut, string tree, saddles, if they're a problem. If you like the way the pickups sound, keep them. The electronics on this type of guitar are often pretty cheap -- no point in replacing them until or if they crap out though.

Otherwise, just give the guitar a good setup. You'll probably have to adjust the action at the nut.

But if you're not familiar with setting up a guitar and aren't interested in learning, then take it to a tech -- a good setup can really change the way a guitar feels.

It'd be pretty simple to cut the bar, then reshape, sand and polish the end. You'd barely be able to tell the difference, it's just metal after all. Although you could also rubberize the handle, so the heel of your hand wouldn't slip. Then the mod would be invisible too.

You could potentially cut down the handle and use it only under palm, that way the handle won't get in the way of playing...could be fun that way, is that what you're thinking?

Otherwise, why not just get a right-handed bigsby?

dawn of a new era for me.. who knows what i could do next...

Maybe finish your build...

Mickguard, don't jump straight in preaching like you're some kind of father figure to the board. You're a PEER. Someone asks a question, answer it. If you don't want to answer it, don't post. Jumping down their throat does nothing except make them think you're an idiot.

Care to rephrase that? I don't recall insulting you or anyone else. So why are you insulting me?